WootBot

Look, we went a little nuts, you know how it goes, something sounds like a good idea and then you take it a little too far and then you take it WAY TOO far until it's a really BAD idea and the next day you're like "Ugh, what happened? What did I do?" The point is, we've got a LOT of batteries on our hands here. Help a dude out, huh?

DreamTheEndless

I bought this a previous time that it was on woot. The batteries are as promised, but the charger is cheap generic Chinese crap. To really get the most from modern rechargeables, you need a modern charger.

nowoot4u

Also for the eneloops:
You may think the sparkles are just fancy, but they have a use: keeping sets of batteries matched. I had a couple sets of white eneloops, and they got very hard to keep track of which ones were charged and weren't, which device they were used in, etc.

I bought 2 sets of sparkly ones, and keep the colors together - and I can charge them together (in my LaCrosse) and I know what device is using what batteries too. Not trivial.

If you are a photographer with flashes that take 4 AAs, get 4 packs, and you'll always know that you are keeping the same set of batteries together, which should make them last longer.

candreae

There are lots of great rechargeable batteries out there currently, with Eneloop being one of the best of the great. My personal favorites are Maha Powerex branded and hands down the best charger is the Maha Powerex MH-C808M. For a lot of batteries for short money, however, I would go with Tenergy, whose batteries aren't quite as long lasting per-charge, but you can get a ton on the cheap.

RichardCarver

Batteries! love talking about batteries! In response to TT's piquant query it's a cheap 2.4 mouse I got on ebay. I love it, it works on any surface including my fat, hairy belly, true story! It eats AAAs though, pair a week.

herriga

We love our Eneloops! We use them mostly for the camera, Wii remotes and Garmin. They do not discharge noticeably when not is use. I have had the same set in the camera for a few months. I wish there was a set of just batteries available as we don't need another charger.

epatriot

Just jumped in for 1 dose each of the Kodak AA and AAAs. I purchased the AAs before on WOOT about three years ago and am now down to the last 6-8 of the 72 pack. I use them in my wireless keyboard, mouse, digital camera, flashlights, and more.

Plus, my son and his family who live 4 miles away from us are always dropping in and "borrowing" stuff, so... well, never mind; not gonna go there this morning.

scotchnsodie

candreae wrote:There are lots of great rechargeable batteries out there currently, with Eneloop being one of the best of the great. My personal favorites are Maha Powerex branded and hands down the best charger is the Maha Powerex MH-C808M. For a lot of batteries for short money, however, I would go with Tenergy, whose batteries aren't quite as long lasting per-charge, but you can get a ton on the cheap.

I agree with the assessment of Tenergy batteries. However, comparing prices, these Eneloops are actually competitive, as far as price goes.

slickddy

For those of you who are interested in other sizes, they also have C and D adapters that use the AA battery.

For what it is worth Energizer sells C and D 2500 mah batteries, roughly $4 per battery as opposed to the $2 per battery here. In my experience the Eneloop 2000 mah batteries using the adapters lasted longer than the 2500 Energizer C and D cells.

Jesterfx

I have that charger and love it. But sucks when you want to do a charge marathon and only have the 4 slots. I was hoping these included ones were at least decent. I guess they charged but I had to stick them in my La Crosse to know if they were full...the lights on the cheap white ones just stays red :/.

yosh

DreamTheEndless wrote:I bought this a previous time that it was on woot. The batteries are as promised, but the charger is cheap generic Chinese crap. To really get the most from modern rechargeables, you need a modern charger.

I too bought these last time around, and the generic charger that comes included seems dangerous to me. It makes the batteries and charger itself get significantly hot during charging. It made them so much hotter than the sanyo charger than I threw the generic charger away.

andysexton wrote:There's an Amazon review pointing out these are special edition batteries from 2010. Not sure how accurate that is, but worth noting.

It's worth noting that these are the second (not third) generation of eneloop batteries, model hr-3utga.

zx3ownwer

I ordered these but wondering just what type of benefits you get from a better charger. I see the linked charger on Amazon has charging options in terms of how much juice is going in. Also readouts to let you know when its charged. A function to decharge the battery. And to refresh it by decharging and recharging 20 times???

So here's my question. Since these battery charger says it has the leakage charge function so it won't "overcharge" the battery am I going to get longer life from the Enerlop batteries from the better charger?

I don't have a problem just leaving my batteries in the charger for 24 hours. And I have a meter that i use to see what charge the battery is holding if I want to see what charge is on the battery. Plus if it doesn't overcharge I assume it doesn't hurt it to just charge it more?

Finally, is charging and decharging 20 times in the charger really a way to refresh these things? Doesn't it eat into its overall life doing that?

ledastray

zx3ownwer wrote: ...
So here's my question. Since these battery charger says it has the leakage charge function so it won't "overcharge" the battery am I going to get longer life from the Enerlop batteries from the better charger?
....

Short answer: Yes.

The longer explanation is that these cheap chargers use a very liberal definition of "overcharge". Unless someone actually measures this one, we won't know how bad it is, but it is clearly in the class of cheap dumb and abusive to your batteries. (Note post saying it gets hot and makes the batteries hot.)

What you want is a smart charger. One that individually measures each battery during charging. The charger linked on Amazon has a lot of bells & whistles that you may not need. (They'll maximize life & performance *if* you learn about battery's technology and use the features appropriately.) Unfortunately, simple inexpensive smart chargers are hard to find. (Sanyo used to bundle a good one with Eneloops, but a couple years ago changed to a cheap one, similar to this Sunpak model.)

Other models of good chargers you might consider are the Maha Powerex line. (Links to a good store, I've dealt with happily, you can search for better deals yourself.)

Maha 204 sounds like it'd be OK, but it only changes batteries in pair and I don't have experience or remember reviews. (I list this only to point out a cheaper option that might be OK, I can't really recommend it.)

The 9000 is Maha's deluxe NiMH charger. It competes with the LaCrosse recommended up thread. (There seems to be two camps, one for each. Either would do an outstanding job.)

Lastly the Maha 801 which will smart charge 1 to 8 batteries at a time. (Someone up thread ask about bulk charging.)

everett0123

The longer explanation is that these cheap chargers use a very liberal definition of "overcharge". Unless someone actually measures this one, we won't know how bad it is, but it is clearly in the class of cheap dumb and abusive to your batteries. (Note post saying it gets hot and makes the batteries hot.)

What you want is a smart charger. One that individually measures each battery during charging. The charger linked on Amazon has a lot of bells & whistles that you may not need. (They'll maximize life & performance *if* you learn about battery's technology and use the features appropriately.) Unfortunately, simple inexpensive smart chargers are hard to find. (Sanyo used to bundle a good one with Eneloops, but a couple years ago changed to a cheap one, similar to this Sunpak model.)

Other models of good chargers you might consider are the Maha Powerex line. (Links to a good store, I've dealt with happily, you can search for better deals yourself.)

Maha 204 sounds like it'd be OK, but it only changes batteries in pair and I don't have experience or remember reviews. (I list this only to point out a cheaper option that might be OK, I can't really recommend it.)

The 9000 is Maha's deluxe NiMH charger. It competes with the LaCrosse recommended up thread. (There seems to be two camps, one for each. Either would do an outstanding job.)

Lastly the Maha 801 which will smart charge 1 to 8 batteries at a time. (Someone up thread ask about bulk charging.)

ceagee

I have been reading all the comments w/ great interest. But I am still lost.

The only experience w/ rechargeables is I got a duracell chargers w/ some of their batteries. They don't hold a charge worth a darn.

What would be the easiest point to start new w/ a rechargeables system ?
I don't need a ton of batteries at once.
Use them for camera and remotes and flashlights mostly.
I need something that someone who doesn't know a volt from an amp can use.
So far the Lacrosse that was linked looks nice. Would that be the best ?
Along w/ these eneloop batteries ?
Will all my devices be ok using these batteries ?

ledastray

ceagee wrote:I have been reading all the comments w/ great interest. But I am still lost.

The only experience w/ rechargeables is I got a duracell chargers w/ some of their batteries. They don't hold a charge worth a darn.

I assume you had old NiMH (or NiCd) batteries that self-discharge. These are low self-discharge and hold their charge on the shelf much better than the old type. (It is possible you had a really bad charger that destroyed your cells. Many manufacturers seem to figure they can save money on the charger and the batteries will still last long enough you won't raise a stink.)

What would be the easiest point to start new w/ a rechargeables system ?
I don't need a ton of batteries at once.
Use them for camera and remotes and flashlights mostly.
I need something that someone who doesn't know a volt from an amp can use.

Eneloops are the gold standard of NiMH rechargeable batteries. (Literally the best at all most all tasks. You won't fall into any of the niches.) These are not their latest model, but still very very good and this price is outstanding, even when you throw out the crummy charger. The cheapest "good enough" charger I know of is the Maha C401FS I linked to before. (You may want to search Amazon for a better price. Of do a lot of research to find a cheaper model with similar features.)

So far the Lacrosse that was linked looks nice. Would that be the best ?

Its competition is the Maha C9000. I don't think you can really go wrong with either. Most folks seem to prefer one or the other but it seems to be because of the fancier features. (Based on your self-description, get the 401 and save the money. You don't sound like you'll ever bother with the more advanced features.)

Along w/ these eneloop batteries ?
Will all my devices be ok using these batteries ?

Thank you for your patience and help.

I've never found a device that didn't run perfectly with eneloop batteries. (Despite what the owner's manuals said about using rechargeables. The were reports of some devices not working years ago when these were first introduced, but those seemed to be devices with poorly designed low-battery detection.)

ledastray

zx3ownwer wrote:The Lacrosse bc 700 is marked down a little over $20 to 29 and has free shipping since its over $25. Seems to be a lot lower in price than the maha's

Much better deal if you will use the bells & whistles.

If you want to stick your batteries in and just let them charge, a simpler competent charger *might* be the better choice.

I don't see the default charge current for the LaCrosse in the Amazon description. (Not everyone will want to remember & set the mA value for each charge.) If it has a reasonable default value (between 1 & 2 amps for AA) it would still be a better deal for the extra capabilities.

Edit: missed it when I first read the Amazon listing. The LaCrosse defaults to 200mA if you do nothing. That's a 10+ hour charge for these eneloops, and slower that what's normally recommended. So basically you (for each "you" purchasing one) need to choose OK easy charges, better charges with effort, plus bells & whistles versus simple easy better charges (and nothing else.)

ceagee

If you want to stick your batteries in and just let them charge, a simpler competent charger *might* be the better choice.

I don't see the default charge current for the LaCrosse in the Amazon description. (Not everyone will want to remember & set the mA value for each charge.) If it has a reasonable default value (between 1 & 2 amps for AA) it would still be a better deal for the extra capabilities.

Edit: missed it when I first read the Amazon listing. The LaCrosse defaults to 200mA if you do nothing. That's a 10+ hour charge for these eneloops, and slower that what's normally recommended. So basically you (for each "you" purchasing one) need to choose OK easy charges, better charges with effort, plus bells & whistles versus simple easy better charges (and nothing else.)

Thank you very much for your answers.
The Maha basic you recommended Is a lot more on 'zom, and on the other site is still more than the lacross.

Are the instructions w/ the lacross really that hard to follow ? Trying to save : )

ledastray

ceagee wrote:...
Are the instructions w/ the lacross really that hard to follow ? Trying to save : )

Woah, I guess I didn't say it right.

If you're going to follow directions, recondition, capacity test, etc. get the $29.19 LaCrosse at Amazon. It's a great deal

If you want to not think and just jam your batteries in a charger to charge, and never anything else, get the $30 Maha C401FS. You'll get really really good charges without setting anything.

I've got the top-of-the line Maha and almost never use it. (If I was stressing batteries, e.g. electric model airplanes or incredibly high power flashlights, it might be worth it. In more normal flashlights, Wii remotes, keyboards, & mice it just isn't worth it to me. Also if I used it more, I might not need the instruction book every single time.) Several people posting seem to be in the worth it camp, but several others don't seem that enthusiastic and since I prefer simpler I think those less enthusiastic might too.

PS- everyone with a thanks, all noted but not worth a full post, you're welcome. Many years ago I had a lot of fun researching all the options before I realized for my normal uses it didn't matter to me. Remembering it all has been fun.

Dartman

Going to take a chance on the Kodak AA's seeing how they're cheap and they seem to be the ones most of our goodies use, plus we are pretty much out of that size again.
We'll see how they work out and even if they aren't awesome this many should still last us a long time.
We usually buy the big packs at Costco but I think these are still cheaper even with shipping for a lot more.

JohnnyDD

Your batteries will LAST LONGER on a slower charge. FAST charge will decompose the chemicals faster than slow charge. I'm a video guy with about 60 types of batteries and have been charging for 20 years. I'm also an electronic tech, and have build chargers.

[quote postid="5524153" u

I don't see the default charge current for the LaCrosse in the Amazon description. (Not everyone will want to remember & set the mA value for each charge.) If it has a reasonable default value (between 1 & 2 amps for AA) it would still be a better deal for the extra capabilities.

ledastray

johnt007871 wrote:My brother has 3 kids and goes through batteries quite quickly. Would these bulk Kodak batteries ease his pain for a while or not worth it?

Have you/they considered rechargeable batteries? They would be cheaper over time. E.g. the Eneloops here (with a better charger. If not these Eneloops new, CostCo has been a reliable source of Eneloops, though their recent kits also suffer from cheap chargers.)

ledastray

JohnnyDD wrote:Your batteries will LAST LONGER on a slower charge. FAST charge will decompose the chemicals faster than slow charge. I'm a video guy with about 60 types of batteries and have been charging for 20 years. I'm also an electronic tech, and have build chargers.

What I understand from battery engineers is over-charging batteries shortens their life. (As does over-discharging them.) I think the slow charge advice comes from the old dumb timed chargers where the low current caused less damage if you over-charged the batteries. Modern smart chargers use delta-V (and sometimes delta-T) measurements to terminate charging when the battery is full, before damage can occur. I'm told consumer chargers often use only delta-V and can miss end of charge with too low a charge current.

chrisgarrett

I'm an Eneloop fan, so I know that the Glitters are 'limited edition' Eneloops, much like the Disney themes and the 'Tones, Chocolat' and command a premium in price to the tune of ~$40 per 8 Glitters.

This is obviously a great deal on a great battery, so even though the charger is a dumb one, that works based on charging time and not capacity, $21 for the set is reasonable. I bought 2 sets for ~$37, in essence getting one set for free.

I'll keep the chargers as 'give aways' if family needs one, or perhaps my neighbors during hurricane season?

angryrooster

Just got a package today, containing only the two chargers... I'm hoping my batteries are on the way, since that's the only thing I care about. I'm giving Woot the benefit of the doubt here and I'll wait a bit before filing a real complaint, but I figured I'd post here in case anyone else lands in the same situation.

jmulvey

angryrooster wrote:Just got a package today, containing only the two chargers... I'm hoping my batteries are on the way, since that's the only thing I care about. I'm giving Woot the benefit of the doubt here and I'll wait a bit before filing a real complaint, but I figured I'd post here in case anyone else lands in the same situation.

Same here - but when I look at my purchase history it shows a second tracking number from the same order so I am anticipating that is it.

ThunderThighs

angryrooster wrote:Just got a package today, containing only the two chargers... I'm hoping my batteries are on the way, since that's the only thing I care about. I'm giving Woot the benefit of the doubt here and I'll wait a bit before filing a real complaint, but I figured I'd post here in case anyone else lands in the same situation.

Yeah, the charger comes from a different warehouse so you'll get them separately. Sorry for the confusion.

(That said, if you don't see them by next week, email support@woot.com.)

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